One problem Matthew is actively overcoming is learning to utilize all of the talent around him. Dan "the Man" Marino never really had a solid running attack in his NFL career. As a Super QB he could often pass his team into the playoffs. However, once the 'Phins arrived in postseason, Dan had to try to navigate his way to Super Bowl Gold against the best teams - who typically had the very best defenses. Those defenses all keyed on stopping the Super QB, Consequently, Dan never won it all because he lacked that crucial balance that a solid running attack would have provided. In fact, some pundits have opined that Dan the Man played so long without a good running game that he lost all confidence in it and always felt he had to win the big games all by himself.
Another case in point is another much ballyhooed QB - a guy named John Elway. This was another guy with a Big Arm who was trusted to win it all with his passing talent. However, like Dan, John could never get over the Super Bowl winning hump ... until he was aided by a special RB talent named Terrell Davis. With a super running attack to balance his great passing talent, those playoff opponents with their great defenses had problems trying to key on both the aerial and ground attacks of John's Broncoes. With Terrell added to the mix, John was finally able to hoist the Lombardi trophy late in his career.
Ironically, Matthew came to a team with a RB talent who reminds me very much of primetime Terrell Davis than anyone else I have ever seen. Like Terrell, Cam Akers shows great balance while running, uses his blockers extremely well, and includes Terrell signature feature: the ability to advance the rock another 3-5 yards after solid defensive contact. Cam just has the knack of often spinning or lunging forward for another 3-5 yards after getting solidly hit.
Matthew has yet to play with Cam in a game that actually counts. While Sony and Hendo add some punch to the LA running attack, a healthy Cam, who has gotten used to being hit again, carries that running attack to the near elite level. Having talent around you isn't enough by itself. A QB has to learn to trust the talent he has around him to employ it to maximum effectiveness. That three game losing skid the Horns had recently illustrated to a certain extent what can happen when Matthew reverts back to his Detroit mentality where winning depended all on his Big Arm, very reminiscent of Dan the Man or John Elway before Terrell Davis. Granted, Sean does call the plays, but Matthew has far more leeway and trust from Sean than Jerad ever had as far as changing the calls. When Cam returns to the huddle, Matthew has to learn to trust Cam as a high end playmaker, just as he is actively learning to trust OBJ. With Cooper, OBJ, a rapidly improving Van, and now Cam returning to spice up the Sony & Hendo backfield, Matthew needs to become a quick study in rapidly learning to utilize all these chess pieces effectively with post season looming ahead. If the Horns can work out a way to retain OBJ and Bobby Trees next season, can you imagine the offensive quality we can have next season - even if we achieve Super Bowl Gold this year?
